The Pleasure Island Boys
by A.J.VASquez
Summary: Many have heard the story of Pinnocheo, and everyone has been haunted at some point by the though, of Pleasure Island, a magical place where boys can make jack asses of themselves, quite literally, to be sold to the salt mines and glue factories. But what if some of those boys escaped, and found that there's more to the island, than anyone could have imagined?
1. Chapter 1

_"Come one, come all, boys," the coachman would say, "come, where you can play all day, eat all the candy you want, and no adult can tell you what to do! Come all you boys, to Pleasure Island!"_

_That's what we all believed, and bought. I suppose if you're reading this, either the journal and I got off the island, or just the journal. Though, most likely, I didn't make it, and this journal just happened to fall into your hands._

_Though I only planed on writing this thing when I got my hands back, I figured I owed it to myself to write about my experience, and if your on this dammed island, maybe it will help you out. _

_For a first entry, I better just say, my name is Carlos Collied, I'm 13, and one of the many boys to end up trapped on pleasure island. I write this, to either tell the mainland one day what happened here, or at the very least, to creat a survival guide for this island._

_If your reading this on the mainland, I can't blame you for not believing a word I'm going to write down. For those who read this while trapped on the island, all I can say is, God have mercy on your soul. _

_I wish I could offer you more than this book, but no matter what, stay strong, avoid temptation, and you may one day make it home alive as a boy._

_But most of all, I can say what to eat, not to eat, how to fight a shadow wolf and which places grow the best grass, but the most important thing to remember: _

_The only way to survive the island, is by SACRIFICE_


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 1

"Come one, come all, boys" someone shouted behind me as a carriage closed in. "Come, where you can play all day, eat all the candy you want, and no adult can tell you what to do! Come all, you boys, to Pleasure Island!"

My first instinct when I heard the mules and wheels was to hide. Adults where nothing but trouble, and I believed the world would be better off without them.

Yet, what he spoke of, a place where I could eat candy all day and have no one tell me what to do, interested me. Then again, being a ten year old boy on the street, and not having eaten for a while, any place sounded better then where I was headed.

Still, it didn't matter, for the carriage was quickly upon me.

On board, was possible the most cramped coach I had ever seen, with boys around my age having the time of their lives. They were all making such noise I was surprised they hadn't attracted the attention of every soul on the county. Though, I am distracted as I see one of the boys who was sitting next to the coachman fire a rock from at one the donkeys that pulled the carriage.

Before I could have said something, the carriage grounded to a halt right in front of me.

"Whoa there!" The coachman shouted at the donkey. He then picked up his lantern and shines it in my face. "Why, hello there, boy," he said in a creepy, yet clam way that kept me in place. "You lost?"

I shook my head. "No, sir, just... Just—"

"Run away from home?"

Maybe if it wasn't for how obvious I looked, I might have been shocked at how he got it on his first try.

I nodded my head. Yet, instead of an answer from him, one of the boys on the carriage shouted at me, "Don't be a wimp, we all are." He then licks an ice-cream cone.

My mouth begins to water. It had been a long time since I had one.

The boy seemed to catch on to what I was thinking. "Hungry, hum? Well, hop on, we're heading to pleasure island. From what I've heard, you'll never go hungry again, because you can get all the ice-cream you can eat!"

I didn't take me much longer to rush forward. It wasn't as if I had anywhere else to go.

As I board, the other boys cheered, while I caught the coachman giving me a wicked grin.

I don't think to long on it as I'm pulled into the carriage and given an ice-cream cone.

"Thanks," I nodded as I hastily ate it, only to have it thrown up a moment later.

"Easy now," the boy who had talked me—I supposed my new friend—reassured me. "I guess you haven't eaten in awhile?"

"No," I moaned as I'm given another one."Ran away last week," I explained a I take a slow lick.

"What happened, trouble with the law, or just couldn't stand the folks?"

"The second," I shrugged.

"A little of both," the guy admitted. He looks a year or two older than myself, with much thicker mussels to boot. "But I suppose none of that matters now," he holds out his hand, "names Dustin."

I took his hand, "Alexander." I scoot closer to him as I take another cone. "So, where are we going anyways?"

"Beats me," Dustin admitted, "but I has to be better than a prison cell." I began to open my mouth when he cuts me off. "But that's in the past. Now, this pleasure island, from what I've heard, is a blast. No adults, no rules—"

"I can hardly wait!" the boy next to the coachman said as he fired another rock at one of the mules.

"Hey!" I shouted, "leave them alone!" A second later, a pebble hits me between the eyes. The carriage erupts in laughter.

"Oh, lighten up," Dustin said after he's done laughing. "They're just dumb animals."

Call me a softy, but I was never a fan of animal's suffering. Not that I minded a pig dying so I could eat bacon or making a horse plow a field, but I was alway against animals in more pain then was needed. One of the many reasons that lead me to run away in the first place.

Still, I didn't want to be the killjoy, so I just shrugged and went back to my ice-cream.

"Say, how do you suppose there's all this ice-cream, when there doesn't seem to be an icebox anywhere?"

"He'll if I know," Dustin responded as he passed me a hotdog.

"Thanks," I nodded as I wondered where all this food was coming from. All around, the other boys seem to be feasting on things that couldn't have possibly fit in here.

I figure it's a stupid question, so I ask another. "What else do you think they got at..." I snapped my fingers.

"Pleasure Island," Dustin said.

"Right," I nodded while I shoved the rest of the food down. "But I mean, if this place is so great, why haven't we heard of it before?"

Dustin shrugged. "Beats me, maybe it's to make it that only the luckiest of boys can make it."

I nodded, but began to look around at the other boys. I wouldn't have considered any of us, lucky. While there were a few who seemed like they had just been picked up after school, most of them looked like them seemed to have had a rougher life than I had with their torn cloths, pale and even scared faces. It made my situation look pathetic.

Then again, maybe Dustin was right, maybe this Pleasure Island was just Lady Luck giving up the break we all needed.

So with that mentality, I eased up and began to imagine what Pleasure Island would be like.

I'm not given the chance in the coach, suddenly, we came to a stop as the doors opened.

All of the boys, myself included, rush out and... Are loaded into a boat.

"What's the matter," Dustin asked, "afraid of the water?"

I placed a hand behind my head. "I don't want to talk about it."

I should have know Pleasure Island would be, well, an Island, I was just hopping it wouldn't be.

"Look, kid," Dustin huffs, "your call, stop being a baby, or stay right here."

I realized I didn't have much time to think. The boat was already about to leave, and I needed to make up my mind now. Do I get over a fear my father planet in me when I was five, or do I just let it control me, and never find happiness?

The boat toots again, and I rushed forward, yet, before I do, one of the donkeys looks up at me. Judging form the scar on its head, I figured he must have been that one boys favorite target.

As I tried to get past him, it looked at me, let out an almost human scream, and I looked its eyes, it's sad looking iris filled eyes.

"Alex!" Dustin shouted at me as the boat began to leave.

I jumped, patted the pit beast on the head, and only thanks to Dustin as he pulled me in did I get on the boat in time

Dustin rewarded my bravery with a slap on the back. "That a boy! Although, why you sacred of this piece of scrap anyways?"

"It's not the boat," I sighed, "it's my father. Use to punish me by forecing my head into a lake." I tried to act cool about it, but the memories of the leeches and fish must have shown on my face.

Dustin responded by placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. We all had to leave something behind."

I nodded and took a seat as my mind began to wonder and asked questions, as it often dose when I'm nervous. Another thing that anyioid my parents to no end. Yet, sure enough, I begin to fire off random quested ruins as I observer the boat.

"So, why aren't there any girls?" I asked spontaneously.

As I look at Dustin, it seemed as if he was gong to punch something. "What dose it matter?" he chuckled, nervously, "girls just have cooties. We're all better off without them."

"Okay," I said, "so why do you think there's an island that boys can play all day at?"

"I don't know," Dustin simply responded.

"Do you think they'll have a rollar coaster?"

Dustin scratched his noise. "I've heard."

"Who from?"

"Someone."

"Oh, do you think anyone goes back to the mainland?"

"Don't see what there's to go back too."

"Well, what about the food? I mean, ice-cream is great, but what about funnel cakes, or lobster tail?" My mouth bean to water. "What about corndogs, or marshmellow? maybe watermelons? You think they'll have clowns? I mean, I'm not scared or anything, but at the same time—"

"Hey, Alex?"

I tensed up as I remembered all the times I asked too many questions around my dad. "Y... Yeah?"

"Relax, you're overthinking this."

I let out a sigh. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he chuckled, "we'll be there soon, and all of your problems will be over."

I shake my head, yet as I tried to get into a comfortable position. It is when I lean into my seat, that I noticed something out in the ocean.

At first, I think it is a rock, or even a boat. When I stand up to get a closer look at it, I was sure it was a mast, made out of a colorful yellow pole.

As I began to wonder how it got there or if anyone else had taken notice, I saw, on the end closer to the mainland, a human skeleton's hand, holding onto the mast as if it would have saved his life.

Which would have caused me to jump regardless, yet, it was what was on the other side, that caused me to scream.

"What, what is it?" Dustin asked a he jumped up.

"I..." I began to stutter and point out to the pole, only for it to be gone. "I, I though I saw a whale."

The boys around me, even Dustin, began to laugh.

"Look who's scared of a fish!"one of the boys said

"A whale isn't a fish," another with glasses said, "it's a mammal."

"Yeah, you think, hum?" The kid marched up to glasses. "I say it's a fish beacuse it swims."

"You can swim, and that doesn't make you a fish." The boy pushed his glasses up. "Unless you got something to hide."

The next thing I knew, a fist fight broke out as most of the guys, Dustin included, rushed forward to root it on.

"You coming, Alex?"

I looked out to where I thigh I saw the yellow pole with the donkey skull imbedded into it. When I didn't see it, I trend to Dustin and the two boys fighting an shouted, "Fight, fight, fight!"

Then, as soon as the fight began, the boat began to slow down, as seagulls screamed above us over the carnival music, while our noises began to take in the smells of all the delouse things we would soon be eating.

On instinct, as if we couldn't control our bodies, we rushed forward to the front of the boat, for we had reached, Pleasure Island.


End file.
